Environmental

          Politics

 

       Political Science 3480, Spring 2009

           12:30-1:45, Monday & Wednesday, 224 SSB

 

 

Instructor: Dave Robertson, 801 Tower                 

Office Hours:    Tuesday 9:00-12:00 am; 
                     and I will arrange other times to fit your schedule.

Phone 516-5855; Fax 516-5268, e-mail DaveRobertson@umsl.edu


 What Is The Course About? / How To Get A Good Grade / Exams / Books / Participation / The Paper / The Journal /
Detailed Course Schedule / Environmental Politics Websites / Critical Thinking Skills / Environmental Politics Bibliography


1.  What is the Course About?  Our environment provides the beauty that ennobles us and the resources that enrich us.  The way we govern our land, water and air exposes our deepest ideals, our deepest conflicts, and the deepest secrets of politics and government.

 

This course has two goals. Our first goal is to understand the most important environmental controversies, primarily in the United States, and way governments have responded to environmental problems. Topics include water and air pollution, population growth, energy, global warming, solid and hazardous waste, endangered species, and international environmental cooperation.  Our second goal is to build analytical and problem-solving skills. Political science is a discipline that analyzes the way that groups of people work out problems when they disagree about values and are uncertain about facts. Environmental issues offer a great way to explore the way that the United States engages in this kind of problem solving. Environmental problems involve ideological, partisan, class, ethnic, and gender conflicts. They also involve great uncertainty about causes, effects, and risk. If you understand environmental problem solving in the United States, then, you will have a better understanding of solving other kinds of problems. 

By the end of the course, then, you should have (1) mastered a body of basic information about environment issues and policies, and (2) a better command of the problem-solving skills used to make public policy.  To measure your achievement, the course includes extensive class discussion, three examinations, a final paper, and a journal in which you will react critically to newspaper stories, magazine articles, or television features about environmental issues. 

This course does not require that you have a background in biological or other sciences. 

2. Our Contract.  By enrolling in this course, you and I have agreed to a contract with each other.  l'll work hard to be prepared, enthusiastic, fair and respectful of every student and their opinions.  I'll be accessible and try my best to return graded materials after no more than a week.  By enrolling in the class, you've agreed to (1) attend every class, (2) to participate by asking questions and joining in class discussions, and (3) reading the assigned material and completing written assignments on time.  Of all the consumer purchases you make, don't let your University of Missouri education be the one purchase where you expect less for your money.

3. How to Get a Good Grade. The grade for the course will be determined in the following way:

            Participation:         10% of the final grade

            2 quizzes:                5% of the final grade
            Journal:                  20% of the final grade
            Exam 1:                 15% of the final grade
            Exam 2:                 15% of the final grade
            Exam 3:                 20% of the final grade
            Paper:                    15% of the final grade

NOTE: You are not are NOT competing with other students for a grade. There is no curve in this course. Each student can get an A, or can get a D. It's up to you.

4. Exams. There will be three exams (February 25 in class, April 6 in class, and May 13 in our classroom at 10:00 am). Each of the exams will consist of three parts: 20 true / false questions worth 2 points each, 2 identification questions worth 10 points each, and an essay worth 40 points.  The final exam will include an additional essay question. 

5. Books. The following books, which are required reading in this course, are available at the UM-St. Louis bookstore.

Zachary Sharp, ed. 2009. Annual Editions: Environment 08/09. 27th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.  Paperback. ISBN-13-9780073515489

Thomas Easton, ed. 2009. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Environmental Issues. 13th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.  Paperback. ISBN-13   9780073514444.

Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People (any edition - available in many public libraries)

Zachary A. Smith. 2009. The Environmental Policy Paradox. 5th Edition. Paperback. Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 10: 0-13-602999-X

6. Participation. You must participate in this course actively in order for it to work well. You must prepare for and attend class, and you must contribute thoughtfully to discussion. To ensure fairness in allocating this portion of the grade, sign-up sheets will be circulated during some of the classes. If we invite a guest speaker, you can be certain that your absence will reduce your grade.

Your reading assignments are listed on the attached class schedule. You are expected to read the material before coming to class, and you are expected to be prepared to discuss the reading material in class. You may be asked to discuss a question regarding the reading during the class for which the reading is assigned. You will be assigned responsibility for some of the specific debates in the Taking Sides book.

I strongly encourage you to ask questions about environmental policy and public policy. I strongly encourage you to ask questions about the day's readings and lecture.

7. Environmental Policy Background Memo. You will write a 12-15 page environmental policy background memo for the class. The paper requires you to provide information to a presidential campaign about an environmental policy issue of your choice. This assignment aims to encourage you to use the course concepts to analyze the environmental problem and policy response of your choice. The paper is due no later than Wednesday May 6.  Students are expected to hand in a 1-2 paragraph written proposal for the paper on Wednesday, February 18 and a detailed paper outline with bibliography on Wednesday, April 1. The proposal and the outline each are worth 5% of the paper grade. (Be sure to read item 8 below).

LATE PAPERS lose 1 point per day.

8. Journal. You will keep a journal during the semester. The object of this journal is to develop your critical thinking skills by practicing on environmental policy problems and issues. Each short entry (one or two paragraphs) should react to a magazine article, a newspaper story, a book, or some policy event. Relate it to broader ideas we have discussed in class or that authors discuss in the readings.  You will write one entries a week, two entries in all for each submission, or a total of 10 entries. You will hand in the journal about every other week until the end of November. the journal is due on February 9, March 4, March 30, April 15, and April 29. Please leave room for comments after each entry.  Each time you hand in the journal, please include all the previous entries and comments. The best way to include everything is in a thin folder. 

The journal assignment will require you to pay closer attention to environmental policy developments this semester. You can do this by reading the St. Louis Post-Dispatch national news section more closely, and by scanning the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal are among the newspapers available daily. The daily St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the New York Times, and USA Today are available free to students at several locations on campus. The New York Times Environment website and MSNBC Environment webpage have very good coverage of environmental issues, and Yahoo Environmental News collects environmental stories from a number of sources.  See also the Environmental Politics Links on the course website. Google news includes articles from many newspapers around the nation and the world.   The Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report and the National Journal are weekly publications available in the reference area, and they are outstanding sources for national policy developments.

LATE JOURNALS lose 1 point a day.

9. Plagiarism.  Plagiarism means taking the written ideas of someone else and presenting them in your writing as if they were your ideas, without giving the author credit.  Plagiarism (a word which comes from the Latin word for kidnapping) is deceitful and dishonest.  Violations that have occurred frequently in the past include not using quotation marks for direct quotes and not giving citations when using someone else's ideas; using long strings of quotations, even when properly attributed, does not constitute a paper of your own.

 

Plagiarism in written work for this class is unacceptable. The University's Student Conduct Code classifies plagiarism as a form of academic dishonesty.  Depending on the severity of the plagiarism, punishment can include receiving no credit for the assignment, failing the course and referral for university disciplinary action.

10. Other Stuff. When I return your exam, please check to make sure that I have computed your grade correctly. Please be in your seat by the time class begins. Please do not hold private conversations during class. If you do not understand lecture, if you have further questions about lecture, please don't hesitate to interrupt and ask your question. If I speak too quickly with an unintelligible Chicago accent, please tell me to slow down.

  COURSE SCHEDULE 

January 21 (Wednesday) Introduction: What are the Stakes?

 

January 26 (Monday) The Dominant Social Paradigm & its Critics

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 1-16
               Annual Editions, Numbers 5, 7, pages 44-59, 70-73

   

January 28 (Wednesday) How have Americans Dealt with their Environment? 

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 16-20

               Taking Sides, Number 6, pages 96-116

               Annual Editions, Number 27, pages 220-237                                                                   

 

February  2 (Monday) What is Environmental Protection Worth? 

    READ: Taking Sides, Numbers 2 & 3, pages 22-61

 

February  4 (Wednesday) The DSP & its Critics

    READ: Ibsen, An Enemy of the People

    QUIZ 1

                                                    

February  9 (Monday) The Trial of Dr. Stockmann

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 36-48

               Annual Editions 25, pages 208-214

               Taking Sides, Number 1, pages 1-21

    JOURNAL 1 DUE (four entries; please hand in entire journal)                    

                                                

February 11 (Wednesday) How does American Government Deal with the Environment?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 49-69

 

February 16 (Monday) How does American Government Deal with the Environment?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 69-84;

                Annual Editions 26, pages 215-219

        

February 18 (Wednesday) How Does the United States Govern Its Land?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 231-246

    PAPER PROPOSAL DUE (1-2 paragraphs)

 

February 23 (Monday) How Does the United States Govern its Land?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 222-231
               Taking Sides, Number 7, pages 118-135

 

February 25 (Wednesday) EXAM 1 - Study Guide for Exam 1

 

 

March  2 (Monday) How Does the United States Govern Its Water?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 126-144

 

March  4 (Wednesday) How Does the United States Govern Its Water?

    READ: Annual Editions, Numbers 20, 22-23, pages 167-172, 182-199

    JOURNAL 2 DUE (four entries; please hand in entire journal)                    

March  9 (Monday) How Does the United States Govern Energy?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 149-185
               

March 11 (Wednesday) How Does the United States Govern Energy?

    READ: Taking Sides, Number 10-11, pages 190-219

              Annual Editions, Numbers 12, 18, pages 107-110, 150-153

 

March 16 (Monday) How Does the United States Govern Energy?

    READ: Taking Sides, Number 9, pages 166-189;

               Annual Editions, Numbers 13-15, 17, pages 111-136, 146-149

                                                       

March 18 (Wednesday) How Does the United States Govern Nuclear Power and Waste?

    READ: Taking Sides, Number 12, 19, pages 220-242, 343-361

               Annual Editions, Number 16, pages 137-146

 

March 23 & 25: Spring Break

 

March 30 (Monday) How Does the United States Govern Hazardous & Solid Waste?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 189-198

               Taking Sides, Numbers 16-17, pages 289-327

   JOURNAL 3 DUE (four entries; please hand in entire journal)                    

 

April  1 (Wednesday) How Does the United States Govern Hazardous & Solid Waste?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 198-214

               Taking Sides, Numbers 5, 18, pages 81-95, 328-342

    PAPER OUTLINE & BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE

 

April  6 (Monday)                   EXAM 2 - Study Guide for Exam 2

 

April  8 (Wednesday) How Does the United States Govern the Air?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 85-113 

 

April 13 (Monday) How Does the United States Govern the Air?

    

April 15 (Wednesday) Global Warming: What Should the U.S. Do?

    READ:  Annual Editions, Number 1, pages xvi-16;
                Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 113-118;

                Taking Sides, Number 8, pages 136-185

   JOURNAL 4 DUE (four entries; please hand in entire journal)

 

April 20 (Monday) How Does the World Manage Biodiversity & Global Problems?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 290-291;

                Annual Editions, Numbers 3, 21, pages 32-36, 173-181;

                Taking Sides, Number 4, pages 64-80

 

April 22 (Wednesday) How Does the World Deal With International Problems?

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 260-270, 275-292

                Annual Editions Numbers 4, 24, pages 37-44, 199-207

 

April 27 (Monday) The Mediterranean 1       HANDOUT                                                     

                Handout;

                Skim the World Wildlife Federation Mediterranean Site

    QUIZ 2

 

April 29 (Wednesday) The Mediterranean 2

  JOURNAL 5 DUE (four entries; please hand in entire journal)

                                                  

May  4 (Monday) Population & Food

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 253-260

                Taking Sides, Numbers 13-14, pages 244-269;

                Annual Editions Numbers 6, 9-10, pages 60-69, 81-92

 

May  6 (Wednesday) The Future 

    READ: Smith, The Environmental Policy Paradox, pages 296-299 

                Taking Sides, Number 15, pages 270-288;

                Annual Editions Numbers 8, pages 74-80

    PAPER DUE 

 

May 13 (Wednesday)                FINAL EXAM, 10:00-12:00 - Study Guide for Final Exam

  

 

 ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS WEBSITES 

Econet / Environmental New Service (ENS) / MSNBC Environment /  Capitol Reports Environmental Newslink
Earthtrends
The National Library for the Environment / Earth Policy Institute
National Council for Science and the Environment / The Daily Planet
Florida Center for Environmental Studies
Environmental Organizations

Congress /  The President /  The Federal Judicial System / Environmental Law
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Department of the Interior /  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
U.S. Department of Energy / U.S. DOE Energy Topics A-Z
State and local government / Council of State Governments Environmental Policy / Interstate Compacts

Missouri State Government
Missouri Department of Conservation / Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Missouri data

St. Louis City / St. Louis County / St. Charles County / Jefferson County
Missouri Botanical Garden

EPA Envirofacts / St. Louis Air Quality Camera

League of Conservation Voters / Missouri Votes Conservation
Sierra Club / Sierra Club - Ozark Chapter
/ Natural Resources Defense Council / National Audubon Society / Audubon Society-St. Louis
/ National Wildlife Federation / Izaak Walton League / Environmental Defense Fund
/ World Wildlife Federation
/ Missouri Coalition for the Environment / American Rivers
Wilderness Society  /Greenpeace  /Resources for the Future
Nature Conservancy / the Trust for Public Land
/ Sustainable St. Louis / Trailnet / Greenway Network
Friends of the Earth  / Earth First! / Sea Shepards

U.S. Chamber of Commerce / National Association of Manufacturers
National Federation of Independent Business
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers /
American Waterways Operators /
American Farm Bureau / National Corn Growers Association /

National Center for Environmental Economics
US Clean Air Market Programs / US Watershed Trading Programs

American Petroleum Institute / Peabody Energy / Nuclear Energy Institute /
MIT Report on the Future of Coal
Platts Energy News / Edison Electric Institute /

CRS Briefing on Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 1996 / CRS Briefing on Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 2001

Heritage Foundation Energy and Environment
Heartland Institute  
Competitive Enterprise Institute / American Land Rights Association

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Pesticide Net
Superfund / EPA Oil Spill program /
Missouri DNR Hazardous Waste Program / Superfund, RCRA, and other environmentally sensitive sites in St. Louis

U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste / St. Louis Region Solid Waste Disposal
Recycler’s World / Missouri Recycling Association
Zero Waste America

Biotechnology Industry Organization

President's Council on Sustainable Development - Final Report / EPA's Community-Based Approaches site /
Northwest Environment Watch / National Geographic's Smart Suburb / Sierra Club Sprawl site / Sprawl City
Smart Growth Online
Sustainable St. Louis / Suburban Sprawl in St. Louis / Confluence Greenway

Biodiversity Webserver / U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation Systems
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program
Defenders of Wildlife / WildAid  / Center for Biological Diversity

Mountain States Legal Foundation / Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise / Defenders of Property Rights
Takings and the Courts

 

Missouri River Basin Association
Coalition to Protect the Missouri River
Midwest Area River Coalition / Coalition to Protect the Missouri River /
Missouri Farm Bureau

The Ocean Conservancy

Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook

United Nations Environment Programme  / UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
 Yearbook of International Co-operation on Environment and Development
/ Center for International Environmental Law

North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation

World Wildlife Federation Mediterranean Site

THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY MEMO 

You will write an environmental policy background memo for a new U.S. Senator. It will be 12-15 pages (typed).

Choose an environmental policy issue, and provide an analysis of the issue for the Senator (it can be a real Senator, or a person you invent). You need to provide OBJECTIVE answers to the following questions:

·  Why should this issue be on the 111th Congress's agenda?  How many people does it affect, and how does it affect them?

·  What are the key things to know about past efforts to deal with this issue? 

·  What are the key choices and alternatives in addressing this issue, and what are their consequences? Not acting at all is an alternative.

·  Who are the key participants in this issue?  Be sure to address key environmental groups, businesses, and other interests.  How powerful are these interests? How will they react to the different alternatives?

·  Describe the political costs and benefits of different alternatives.

·  What is the best alternative course of action in the future? Explain and justify thoroughly.

Grading criteria include: (1) the degree to which you put effort into the paper; (2) the degree to which you use specific facts and figures in your analysis; (3) the fairness, objectivity, and recognition of all points of view demonstrated in the paper; (4) the quality of the writing and organization of the paper; (5) the quality and diversity of the sources; (6) the persuasiveness of the your argument for the proposed improvement in the situation.

An "A" paper will be clear, concise, and specific. It will cite at least 8 sources (of which 1 should be from class readings, 2 from outside research articles, and 2 from outside books).

Regrettably, late papers will lose 1 point a day (as indicated in the syllabus).

Paper grades will be reduced if the papers do not cite their evidence in the body of the paper and at the end of the paper.  Your introduction (1 paragraph maximum) should specifically summarize your argument, your evidence, and your conclusion. Your paper's introduction should be the last thing you write before you submit the paper. The conclusion also should summarize your argument and findings.

Citations must include the author's full name, the date of the piece, and a full reference to it. In the body of your paper, cite the author's last name and the date (and page number, if appropriate) of the piece as follows: (Vaughn, 2007: 103). At the end of your paper, append a bibliography in the following form (for articles, books, and chapters, respectively; note that these are in alphabetical order):

    Crouch, Elisa. 2004. “St. Peters board approves bonds for controversial levee.” St. Louis Post Dispatch. August 14, 2004: 21.  

    Pasqualetti, Martin J. 2006. “Wind Power: Obstacles and Opportunities.” In Annual Editions: Environment 06/07. ed. John L. Allen.
           25th edition. Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw-Hill: 85-97.

 

    Vaughn, Jacqueline. 2007. Environmental Politics. 5th edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.

 

Plagiarism means taking the written ideas of someone else and presenting them in your writing as if they were your ideas, without giving the author credit.  Plagiarism (a word which comes from the Latin word for kidnapping) is deceitful and dishonest.  Violations that have occurred frequently in the past include not using quotation marks for direct quotes and not giving citations when using someone else's ideas; using long strings of quotations, even when properly attributed, does not constitute a paper of your own.

Plagiarism in written work for this class is unacceptable. The University's Student Conduct Code classifies plagiarism as a form of academic dishonesty.  Depending on the severity of the plagiarism, punishment can include receiving no credit for the assignment, failing the course and referral for university disciplinary action.

 

THE JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT

You will keep a journal during the semester. Each short entry (one or two paragraphs) should react to a newspaper story, a television feature, or some other event. It should summarize the most important point of the story in a paragraph, and in a second paragraph, react to the story using course concepts and information where appropriate..

You will write about one such entry each week. Two entries will be due the each time you hand in your journal. The best way to keep the journal is to print up pages and place them in a flat folder. 

Journals will be evaluated on their demonstration of your substantial skills in critical thinking about environmental issues. This is demonstrated by (1) stating a clear opinion about an environmental issue, (2) summarizing the issue concisely in one or two sentences, (3) backing up your opinion with evidence and/or logic, (4) anticipating objections from those with other views, and (5) developing creative insights about these issues. The position you take on an issue is irrelevant; your ability to think critically and your creativity and persuasiveness in defending your opinion are central to your grade. See the attached guide to critical thinking skills; you may use these guidelines directly in assessing the articles you read (item 7 is especially important).

Each entry should at a minimum be understandable, specific, and relevant to environmental policy. Be sure to cite the title of the source and the article, the date, and the page or source.

The journals with the best grades will be very creative and thoughtful. As time goes on, the journals with the best grades will refer back to previous lines of thought and explicitly to topics in the readings and in lecture. The journals with the best grades also will draw on diverse sources of environmental policy opinion beyond the obvious (such as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Students are strongly encouraged to use such sources as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, Policy Review, National Review, the Economist, Rolling Stone, Outdoors, National Geographic, U.S. News, and Congressional hearings, National Wildlife, Sierra, Audubon, American Spectator. Students are very strongly encouraged to use Lexis/Nexis for some articles of opinion. Dare to think creatively (see attached). You should mix local, national, and global environmental issues.

Many of my comments in the journals often will be in the form of questions. I want you to consider the consequences of your arguments. Think about them (and respond in the next round if you like).

Late Journals lose 1 point per day.

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

This course aims to improve critical thinking skills. When you evaluate the articles you read for class or for your journal, or when you participate to discussion, read and listen actively (You can use some of the items in this list directly in assessing articles in your journals; item 7 is especially important).

When you complete the course, you should be more skilled in your ability to:

1. Distinguish Fact and Opinion.

A fact is a statement that can be proven to be true. An opinion is a statement of a person's feelings about something. When you read or listen in this course, actively distinguish fact and opinion by asking:

- When someone asserts that something is true, what's the evidence?

2. Recognize Bias and Rhetoric.

What do you think the person wants readers or listeners to think or do? How does the person use words or phrases to accomplish this? Does the author or speaker paint word pictures that are particularly attractive for the things she likes, or that are especially awful for the things that he doesn't like? How do the authors select examples to stir your emotions?

3. Determine Cause and Effect.

Does the person assert that one fact follows as the result of another? (Examples include such statements as "Increased auto exhaust causes global warming," or "Government regulations cause unemployment"). How sweeping are these assertions? What is the evidence for it? How persuasive is this evidence?

4. Compare and contrast different points of view.

5. Determine the accuracy and completeness of the information provided. When you read more than one point of view on an issue, you should think about the following:

- What facts and cause-effect relationships does everyone agree about?

- What facts and cause-effect relationships do authors or speakers disagree about?

- What important facts do some persons raise, while others ignore?

- What sources could be used to determine the accuracy of the information you hear?

6. Recognize poor logic and faulty reasoning. When you read more than one point of view on an issue, you should think about the following logical problems. Note that the examples often include more than one form of poor logic.

a. Incorrect cause-effect relationships ("The Clean Air Act of 1990 preceded the recent economic recession, therefore the CAA caused the recession" [Were other factors much more influential in bringing about the economic downturn? Did the Clean Air Act have any substantial independent effect on the economy in recent years?])

b. Inaccurate or distorted use of statistics ("Environmental laws of the 1970s failed to reduce pollution;" think about whether, for example, population and economic growth offset environmental gains from policy). Think about widely different assumptions and projections of the future; for example, environmentalists may project that the protection of the Northern spotted owl may cause little net loss of jobs in the Pacific Northwest because they assume that such restrictions will benefit fishing, tourism, and other industries; the logging companies and unions may project the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.

c. Faulty analogies or comparisons ("Congress can't balance the federal budget, so how can it clean up the environment?" or "Auto companies have lied about safety, so how can they be trusted on emissions controls?" Such assertions tend to be matters of opinion rather than demonstrable facts).

d. Oversimplifications that ignore important information ("Tougher environmental laws can create jobs in the long run, so the economy will be better off if stricter laws are enacted;" such a statement ignores the number of persons who may be displaced in the short run with a given environmental law).

e. Stereotyping ("all environmentalists are kooks; all conservatives are greedy crooks"). Modifiers such as "all," "never," or "always" often provide a tip off stereotyping).

f. Ignoring the question (when asked if auto emissions cause globalwarming, the person instead talks about the cost of regulation or the potential seriousness of global warming).

g. Faulty generalization (the 1970 Clean Air Act's effort to force automobile companies to drastically reduce emissions failed to cause automobile companies to reach that goal within the original time limit; therefore all environmental legislation is a failure).

7. Develop inferences and draw logical conclusions. Ask yourself:

- What are the person's conclusions?

- Do you agree or disagree with these conclusions?

- What other conclusions could you draw from this information?

- What other information is important to know before making a judgment
   about the value of this person's argument?

 

Background downloaded from http://www.grsites.com
Last Updated January 14, 2009